Mumbai University wants to set up campus in Dubai

Mumbai city news: If everything goes according to plan, MU will become the second Indian university to start a campus on foreign soil. Pune University went international in 2009 after setting up a campus in Ras al-Khaimah (RAK), UAE

After scouting locations in the United States (US) to set up an offshore campus, the University of Mumbai (MU) vice chancellor (VC) Sanjay Deshmukh wants to start an MU campus in Dubai from the 2018-19 academic year. The varsity’s academic council recently cleared the project.

The varsity had set aside Rs20 lakh for the Dubai project in 2016 . (Hindustan Times)

The Dubai project was announced on March 28, 2016, as part of MU’s annual budget for 2016-17 and Rs20 lakh were set aside for it.

According to Deshmukh, the university will collaborate with a Dubai-based partner, who has agreed to provide infrastructure and funds for the campus. In return, the varsity will give share the revenue it generates through its fee structure.

If everything goes according to the plan, then the MU will become the second Indian university to start a campus on foreign soil. Pune University went international in 2009 after setting up a campus in Ras al-Khaimah (RAK), UAE.

Commenting on the project, Deshmukh said, “I want to do everything within my power to improve university’s stature.”

The VC wants to pursue the project despite MU failing to feature in the list of top 150 Indian universities — ranked under the National Institute Ranking Framework (NIRF).

Out of budget

Earlier, the varsity had explored the option of setting up a campus in the US. During his visit to the country, Deshmukh surveyed various facilities and universities for this purpose. He even considered purchasing a building in Manhattan and Houston. Deshmukh also explored the possibility of establishing a facility on the University of Akron, Ohio, premises. However, he now says that it will be difficult to amass funding for the US project and is mulling to offer online courses from Mumbai. “Online education doesn’t require much of investment,” he said.

Maharashtra Public Universities Act, introduced last year, allows public universities in the state to establish centres or institutions in foreign countries. However, the MU will require permission from the Centre and the state.